Life After Ouran
by BlackRoseKai
Summary: This is what happened to our beloved Ouran Took Over My School characters after Payback and their high school lives were over. Join Tailyr, Karsyn, and Marx as they travel the uncharted waters of adulthood and learn new lessons both easy and hard. Heart break, love, loss and new life, this is growing up. This, is Life After Ouran!
1. Tailyr: First Comes Love

**Me: Hi again guys! Thanks for sticking with us.**

**Karson27: We are happy to present the first chapter of Life After Ouran.**

**Marx: I get to appear in the author's notes for the first time to say thank you!**

**Me: And he's gone again. I hope everyone enjoys. Thank you very much and if anyone has any story ideas they'd like to see posted as a one shot or ideas for the kids' series we'd love to hear them.**

**Karson27: Just leave it in the reviews or pm BlackRoseKai.**

**Me: Thank you and enjoy!**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

"That's the last of it," I sighed, flopping on the king sized bed. "I think."

"Ah," came Takeshi's response.

We'd spent the last two and a half days moving in and getting settled in our new condo. Moving was exhausting, especially with the Host Club "helping" out. Their definition of help was causing more trouble than necessary. I was glad when we were finally finished and Haruhi, Kyoya, and Lily drug Tamaki and the twins away. Honey had moved in with us because we were all going to be attending Ouran University together.

"I'm beat," I told him. "And I still have to cook supper. Now I wish I would've let you talk me into hiring a chef."

He laid down beside me. "Take out," he suggested as I snuggled closer.

"We've ate nothing but take out since we've been married," I whined. We'd only been married for about two weeks. "I wanted to make something here and eat together. I think Honey would like it too."

"We don't have groceries."

I sighed. "I know. Tomorrow night though," I said. "I shall cook in our new kitchen, in our new house, with much glee and gusto before burning everything."

Takeshi smiled. "You're a good cook," he said kissing my head.

"There's a bakery slash sub shop down the street. We could go down there and grab a bite to eat," I suggested. "Then Honey can buy a few cakes to tide him over until we go shopping tomorrow. We start school soon so we should go buy our books and stuff tomorrow then too."

"Ah."

I grinned and kissed him lightly. "I love you," I said, bouncing up. "I'm going to let Honey know to get ready to go."

"Ah."

I walked down the hall to Honey's room. The condo had three bedrooms. Takeshi and I got the master of course since there were two of us in one room. Honey took the next biggest one and the last one we just used as a junk slash office room.

"Honey?" I said, pushing open the door. Honey had decorated his room in his usual fashion. Full of cute and soft things. He had a few trophies on a shelf and his clothing laid out, still waiting to be put away.

"Hi Tai-chan!" he greeted me with a grin. At the moment, the little Lolita was in the middle of a growth spurt. He was already as tall as I was and still growing. It seemed like every few weeks he was having to get new clothing because he out grew his. He was finally shopping in the mens' department.

"We're gonna go out for dinner so get ready. There's a little place down the street. They have cake."

"Yay!" he said excitedly. "Let's go."

As the weeks progressed and we started going to college at Ouran University, it seemed that everything was going to be calm and perfect. I missed Karsyn and Marx but talked to them as often as I could but time differences and hectic schedules prevented us from talking too much. Christmas was a month and a half away and we were making plans to go to America to see our friends.

I was at home alone, working on some homework, when, once again, I was hit with a wave of nausea. I ran to the bathroom and emptied the contents of my stomach. I stood, flushing the toilet. This wasn't the first time I'd randomly gotten sick. I hadn't said anything about it to Takeshi because I didn't want him to worry but I had a sinking suspicion that it wasn't stress causing the sickness.

I brushed my teeth, contemplating the situation that I'd found myself in. With my best friend thousands of miles away, I didn't know what to do. I supposed the logical choice was to go to the hospital but I didn't want Kyoya's nosy ass in my business.

"At home test it is," I said quietly.

Grabbing my bag and shoes, I headed out, going down the street to the convenience store. I paid for what I needed and quickly went home. The time between taking the test and waiting for the results were the most agonizing moments of my life. I didn't know what to expect.

A little blue positive sign came up and my world crashed. My throat swelled closed and tears stung my eyes. Normal people would be excited about being pregnant but my family didn't exactly have a trace record of being great parents. Marriages didn't work out so well either but I took a chance on Takeshi. Kids were a whole different ball game because it wasn't just me.

I left the bathroom and went and laid in bed for a while and somehow drifted to sleep. I woke a couple hours later to my phone ringing.

"Huh?" I answered, rubbing my eyes.

"We're going to be late for dinner," Takeshi said. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I fell asleep so I haven't even started dinner yet."

"Do you feel okay?" he asked, knowing it was unusual for me to just randomly fall asleep. I hadn't done that since I'd gotten over my pneumonia.

"Yeah. Homework is boring," I said. It wasn't a lie but that wasn't what caused me to fall asleep. "How late will you be?"

"Thirty minutes to an hour."

"I'll have supper waiting for you. I love you. See you soon."

"I love you too."

I hung up. Knowing how Takeshi and Honey were, thirty minutes to an hour actually meant forty-five minutes. That gave me plenty of time to make something really good and devise a plan to spill the news to them.

By the time they came home I was feeling righteous but the second I looked at them, all my courage made a mad dash out the window.

"Hey baby," I said, kissing Takeshi.

"Yay!" Honey cheered. "Tai-chan made dinner! Did you make cake?"

"Of course but you have to eat dinner first," I told him. He was now taller than me, almost five foot ten. His shoulders had broadened and his voice had deepened too. He was still pretty cutesy with a baby face but he at least looked his age now. Just because he looked more like an adult didn't mean he acted like one. He still loved cake and slept with Usa-chan.

As we ate, I kept as casual as I could, occasionally joining in on the boys' conversation but I knew they sensed that my mind was somewhere else. After dinner, they helped me clean up. At some point, Honey skipped out, which wasn't anything new. Takeshi helped me finish and then he sat down to do some of his homework.

I walked down the hall, intent on changing for bed and laying down to relax while rethinking my plan of attack. Honey left the bathroom and looked at me.

"Tailyr," Honey said in a small voice. Oh lord, did he just call me by my name? He had something in his hand. "What's this?" He held it out to me.

I took it, my fingers shaking. It was the pregnancy test. I could've swore I'd thrown it away. Guess not. The boy knew damn well what it was though. I looked at him, my eyes large.

"Is is yours? Is it true?" he asked.

"Honey, you can't say anything to Takeshi," I said in a fast whisper. "Please."

"Tai-chan, you have to tell him."

"I'm going to but … I just … I don't know how. I mean … Honey, I'm scared. I don't know if I'm ready for this."

"It'll be okay," he promised brightly, hugging me. "Takeshi will help you and so will I. Everything will be fine."

"But," I objected quietly.

"But nothing Tai-chan," he said looking at me seriously.

"What's wrong?" came Takeshi's voice.

I spun around, hiding the little stick behind my back. Takeshi looked down at me worriedly. For a moment, I wondered why I was so scared. I loved this man and he loved me. Then I remembered that we were barely nineteen and only been married about five months.

"Tai-chan has to tell you something!" Honey announced, nudging me forward.

"Hm?" he raised an eyebrow at me.

My heart plummeted but continued pounding in my feet. My hand were sweating. "Um," I choked. "Takeshi … I … I'm …" I couldn't look in the face any long so I opted to staring at the space between our feet. "Takeshi, I'm pregnant."

There was a silence and I quit breathing for a moment. Then, Takeshi hugged me, tilting my face up to his. He planted a kiss on my lips, a huge grin forming on his face. I must have looked confused.

"I'm excited," he said. "Don't be scared."

"But," I objected. "I …"

He stroked my cheek. "It'll be okay. You're not alone."

A wave of relief washed over me. It was one thing for Honey to say it but something else completely for my husband to tell me that. _He's right. He's not leaving me. I have him and Honey, Karsyn, Marx, and the rest of the Host Club. I'm not alone._ I hugged him, burying my face in his chest, kicking myself for being such an idiot.

"Does this mean I have to move out?" Honey asked.

I turned to look at him, very confused. "Why would you think that?"

"So you'll have more room for the new baby and I won't be in the way," he said in a tiny voice, looking down.

"Honey, we have an extra room. There's plenty of room for you and the new baby," I said hugging him. "You don't have to leave. Besides, I think the baby will like having you around. You'll be Uncle Honey."

"But I'm its cousin," he smiled.

"You might as well be Takeshi's brother. You can decide what the baby calls you okay?"

"Okay! Wait until everyone else finds out! They'll be so excited."

I smiled. Later, after everything calmed and we prepared for bed, I laid on my back, staring up at the ceiling, contemplating my future. Takeshi crawled into the spot beside me. His hand rubbed my still flat stomach. I blushed a little, a smile creeping across my face.

"Are you scared at all, Takeshi?" I asked, taking a hold of his hand and intertwining my fingers with his.

"A little," he answered, still staring at my stomach. "But … I'm happy."

I looked up at him. His dark eyes, as always, were thoughtful and gentle. He kissed the middle of my forehead.

"I'm happy it's ours. I'm happy that we're going to have a family," he explained, grinning. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Karsyn took the news like a champ and informed me I wasn't allowed to give birth until she got there after she finished school. Which wouldn't be hard since I wasn't due until July. Marx, being the brother he was, gave Takeshi a list of threats should he fail in anyway to be the world's greatest father and most supportive husband in the history of the universe.

I was starting to show big time by the time I hit my five month mark. Takeshi and I were going to the hospital for a check up that would hopefully explain why I was so huge. We were also going to find out the sex of the baby.

"Morinozuka?" the nurse called.

We went back to the ultrasound room. I laid on the bed and Takeshi sat on the chair next to me. The doctor entered the room. His name was Takeda. He was an older man with half greyed hair and soft brown eyes. According to Kyoya, he was the nations best baby doctor. He was a very nice man.

"How are you?" he asked, sitting down next to the machine.

"Fat," I told him flatly.

Dr. Takeda chuckled. "Yes, you've gained a fair amount of weight I'd say. Let's see if we can't figure out why."

He started the ultrasound. The goo was cold and gave me goosebumps. The room filled with the sound of an echo-y heartbeat.

"Ah ha," the doctor said. "Just as I suspected. You, are pregnant with identical twins." He turned the screen toward Takeshi and I. "See? This is the head and this sitting next to it, is a rump."

"There's two," I breathed.

"There sure is. I had suspected twins from your first visit but, there's a phenomenon called the vanishing twin in which, one twin is absorbed by the other. I didn't want to say anything until this point because that means, it's passed the risk stage. You're having twins. Would you like to know the sex?"

"Yes."

He moved the device around. "Looks like you're having twin boys. Congratulations."

After we finished, Takeshi and I headed home. My mind was racing with the thought of having not one but two babies at once. Now I was twice as worried about it. Takeshi put his hand on my knee. I looked up at him.

"It's okay," he said softly. "We can do this."

I smiled a little at my husband's encouragement. "Are you sure? One baby is hard enough but two? That's double the trouble."

"There's two of us."

"You've officially been around me too much. You're starting to get a little sarcastic," I told him, giving him a flat look.

He smirked.

At the condo, the entire host club was waiting. They even had Marx and Karsyn on Skype. What a support system. It was roughly ten o'clock at night in America. They'd stayed up late to hear the news.

"So?" Hikaru asked.

"Is it a boy or girl?" Kaoru questioned.

"We need know so we can start on the room!" they said.

"Two boys," I said.

"What?" Marx cried.

"You're having twins?" Lily asked, grinning. "Identical or faternal?"

"Identical."

"Oh boy," Karsyn sighed.

"You're having your own personal Hikaru and Kaoru?" Tamaki wailed hysterically.

"NO!" Marx objected frantically.

"Tamaki!" Haruhi scolded.

"We are not having Devil Twins!" I objected.

The twins took major offense to this. Everyone hung around for a while. Marx and Karsyn had to sign off a few minutes after I gave the update. They had school the next morning. Everyone physically present stayed until dinner before drifting out. Afterword, we made dinner. Actually, we ordered take out because no one actually wanted to cook.

"Are you sure there's going to be room for me?" Honey asked, taking a bite of sweet biscuit. "Because you're having two babies?"

"Yes," I told him firmly.

"Ah," Takeshi agreed.

"They're going to be small enough for a while and we'll leave before we kick you out," I told him. "It's just going to be louder than we thought."

Honey smiled. "Hika-chan and Kao-chan are really excited about the babies too. They're really happy you're having twins."

"We'll have to supervise the twins when they're around the babies," I commented. "They'll be bad influences."

Takeshi chuckled.

Two months later, the twins had finally finished painting and decorating the nursery. They helped pick out all the furniture and handmade all of the bedding. Takeshi was putting the cribs together. I sat on the floor reading the instructions out loud to him.

"Connect that to the railing," I told him, rubbing my belly. It was big and swollen. Karsyn was going to be in a few days and we wanted to get everything ready before then so we'd have plenty of time before the babies came. Marx and his parents were going to fly in a week.

He did. "There's still another one," he mumbled, sounding a bit dejected.

"It'll be okay. You'll already know how to do it. Everything has to be doubled. Bottles. Diaper changes. Bath time. All of it," I sighed, thinking hard about it. It stressed me out a lot and with me having developed high blood pressure, which was normal for pregnant women. Since I was a naturally easily stressed person, the looming knowledge that I was having twins was making it worse.

He turned and smiled at me. "It'll be okay," his words echoed mine. He kissed my head. "We can do this." He rubbed my belly with his left hand, his gold wedding band on his finger. I took it with my left hand.

"I love you."

"I love you too," he said, giving me a kiss. He went back to work. Eventually, we finished the furniture and made the beds just like the twins instructed.

We sat int the middle of the now completed nursery. I sucked in a big breath through my nose.

"You did good baby," I said, patting his leg. "You worked hard."

"Anything for our babies," he said, cuddling up behind me and kissing my head.

"Tai-chan!" Honey said bouncing in the room. "Wow! This is awesome! The babies' will love this!"

I smiled. "Glad you think so Honey."

"You have the luckiest boys in the whole wide world!" Honey said.

"I liked to think so," I said, rubbing my stomach. I felt a kick and grinned. "Takeshi! Honey! Put your hands here!"

I moved them around to my side. He kicked again. "Did you feel it?" I asked, a grin plastered across my face.

"Is that the baby kicking?" Honey asked, his large brown eyes the size of softballs.

"Yep. They're moving around. They think they're ready to come out now but unfortunately, they have to wait it out at least another month before it'll be safe."

"Wow," Honey gasped. "You're going to be parents soon!"

A month later, I couldn't wait for the boys to get there.

"Being pregnant sucks," I whined. "My feet swell. My back hurts and I'm sick of being kicked in the kidneys and I'm sure Takeshi's tired of the weird cravings."

Karsyn chuckled. She had come down the second she finished high school. She had every intention of staying for good. Marx and his parents on the other hand, were only going to be down until a few days after the babies were born.

At the moment, it was me,an Karsyn at my condo hanging out while the men and boys did whatever. Something about a tournament.

"You're eight months pregnant, Tailyr," she said. "You'll be in labor any day now."

"I know," I sighed.

"Are you excited?" Karsyn asked.

"Mostly scared," I admitted. Only Karsyn, Marx, and Takeshi knew how totally terrified I was. Everyone thought I was reasonably scared for a first time parent. I was way beyond that point. I was nearly to the point of panic attacks at just the thought.

She rolled her eyes. "You'll be fine."

Suddenly, my stomach muscles contracted painfully, taking my breath away. I put my hands on my swollen abdomen.

"Tailyr?" Karsyn questioned, worriedly.

"It's okay," I said, gritting my teeth as a another wave of pain hit. I felt like I'd peed my pants. "Karsyn, I think my water just broke."

That sent Karsyn into a Tamaki worthy fit. "Oh my god," she was hyperventilating looking in every direction. "Oh my GOD! What do we do?"

"First, don't panic," I told her, doing my best to be soothing and calm. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.

"But! But! But!" she stammered. "You're having a baby! Two! Two babies!"

"I'm aware, Kar," I said, easing her toward the door.

"A month early!"

"They're twins. This is expected," I explained calmly. I opened the closet door. "Grab that backpack, Karsyn." I slid on flip flops since I couldn't put on actual shoes. "Now, first, we need to start heading to the hospital. Call my husband, your fiance, my family, and the Host Club. They can meet us there."

Giving her simple tasks calmed her from her anxiety attack. We got to the hospital without either of us dying from panic and fear. Takeshi was waiting by the door with his cousin.

"You ready for this baby?" I asked as orderlies wheeled me in a wheelchair. I took his hand.

He nodded, planting a kiss on my cheek.

"See you when we get out," I told Karsyn. She smiled and waved.

Twenty hours later, Takeshi and I were the proud parents of twin baby boys. Both healthy at five pounds each with fully developed lungs and everything else. They had Takeshi's looks but my bright blue eyes. We agreed on the names Sosuke and Sasuke.

"They're beautiful," Karsyn said, holding Sasuke. She and Kyoya were cooing over him.

"You did good, kiddo," Marx's father Mike said, kissing my head. "Proud of you."

I grinned. "Thank you."

That night after everyone had gone home, it was just Takeshi and I alone with the babies. He was cuddled up next to me, holding Sosuke. I held Sasuke, laying my head against his chest. I smiled at our sleeping children.

"Still scared?" Takeshi asked.

"A little," I told him. I reached over and stroked Sosuke's cheek. "I'm afraid that I'll mess up or that … I'll be like my parents."

"You won't." He kissed my head. "You'll be wonderful."

I smiled up at him. "As long as you're here to help, I think I'll be able to handle it," I said. "But … what if they say they don't want me as their mom? What if I hurt them somehow?"

"Kids will get mad," he said. "We aren't perfect but … as long as we do our best, they'll know. If we upset them, we'll make it right. We'll do the best we can."

I kissed him. He was right. We'd do it together and raise our boys the best we could. As long as we tried, we could successfully become the parents we wanted to be. It would be up and down and it wouldn't always be easy but, we'd manage.

**Well guys. I know that it's been a while since anything OBTOMS related has been posted so I present to you this!**

**And, to spoil the gushy moment some heartbreaking news. Don't worry, it's not the end of the OBTOMS Empire. I, BlackRoseKai, am going to college this fall and sadly, Karson27 is staying here at home to finish high school at which point she'll be going to college far away from me!**

**I know! SADNESS! Anyway, between a huge slump in my life and my new job at a local factory, I haven't posted much. I think I have an idea of what I want Marx's chapter to be like but I'm going to work very closely with Karson27 to write her chapter and make it just as epic. There is one thing I definitely want to put in hers. Hopefully, this will get her going on her chapter.**

**Thank you for all your support guys! If anyone here is interested, I have posted a story for Uncharted called Uncharted:Natalie's Adventure. Stop by and read. Thank you! Your reviews, as always are appreciated!**


	2. Marx: This Can't Be How The Story Ends

**Me: I love college! Sleep? What's this mythical state of rest you speak of?**

**Karson27: Did you forget to take your meds again?**

**Me: No! I took them! I think...**

**Karson27: Dear lord. You're dying without me.**

**Me: No! Yes! Please come down here before I die!**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

After I graduated from Ouran High School I returned to the states. I settled into my life pretty quickly. I worked on my dad's farm and attended college for an agriculture degree. After a while, I fell into a rut. At least, until I met her.

It was really fate that brought us together the first time. I never went to the library. It was like my kryptonite but the teacher gave us an assignment that required a little research. I was on foreign territory and she was a library assistant.

"What's your name?" I asked as she pulled book after book from the shelf. This paper was looking next to impossible.

"Um... Anna," she answered, peeking at me through long brown bangs. "Anna Smith."

"My name's Marx Vowell," I said, smiling a little.

"Well, here you go Marx," she said, handing me a stack of six or seven thick books. "These should help you."

"Can you help me?" I asked. "I haven't the slightest clue how to do this."

She looked at me and smiled back. "Of course."

For the next five hours, we worked on my paper. By the end of the night, we wrote the paper and went out for a midnight food run to McDonald's. We sat in the bed of my truck and watched the stars as we ate.

"This is easily worth the paper," I said, smiling at her.

She grinned back. "Easily worth trying to decipher your left handed chicken scratch to type the paper," she giggled. "You're different than most guys Marx. Right now, most guys would be trying to get in my pants."

"Don't put me on such a high pedestal," I teased. "I'm kidding. I was just raised to wait for it to matter. That and if my mom and sister found out that I was doing that to girls. I wouldn't want something like that done to them and I don't want to treat girls like they're just objects."

She giggled again. "That's sweet."

I shrugged. "It's a talent. Maybe, if you go on another date with me, I'll tell you how I got to be so charming."

"I'd like that."

And just like that, I was smitten. We started dating and a couples years after that, we moved in together. Neither of us were in an extreme hurry to get married. We wanted to finish college before that happened.

I stepped into our apartment, scratching my head and yawning. Between school and working extra hours the last week to get our crops in, I hadn't been sleeping properly. It was well after ten o'clock which wouldn't be all that late if I didn't have to get up at four in the morning. Anna was sitting on the floor, using the coffee table as a work desk.

"I'm home," I said, peeling off my boots.

She jumped up and walked over to greet me. She kissed me hard.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, chuckling slightly. "You never touch me until I shower."

She giggled. "I have to tell you something."

"Hm?" I asked.

Anna stepped back from me, a light blush forming on her cheeks. She chewed her bottom lip as she searched for words.

"Should I be scared? Did I forget something?" I asked, slightly worried about her sudden mood change.

"No. You didn't forget anything but you can be scared. I am too."

Now I was really nervous. "Anna, you're starting to freak me out."

"I missed my period so I took a test and I'm pregnant."

For a moment, I was too stunned to even process the information. After a second it sunk in.

"Baby?" she questioned, reaching out for my hand.

"I'm going to … I'm going to be a father," I gasped. My eyes widened and a grin smeared itself on my face. "I'm going to be a dad!"

I picked her up and spun in circles. Anna laughed.

"We're going to be parents!" I cheered, giving her a kiss. "You have no idea how happy I am."

"I'm glad you're happy," she smiled. "I expected you to faint."

"Fainting comes later," I joked.

The pregnancy was the scariest thing I'd ever been through and I liked to think of myself as a man who had been through quite a bit in my life. I'd seen things that most people only dreamed about but it was nothing compared to expecting a child and actually having it.

I was sitting in class, impatiently tapping my pencil against my note book as the teacher droned on and on about the war between America and whoever. Seconds drug by and all I could think of was Anna, who was eight months and three weeks pregnant sitting at her mothers house while I was being forced to sit through this torture.

I was nearly asleep when my cell phone rang, belting out a country love song, starling me and everyone else in the class.

The teacher paid no real attention to me, other than throwing me an irritated look.

"Hello?" I answered shakily, gathering all my things up. I knew what this call meant.

"Marx, it's time!" came Anna's strained voice.

"I'm on my way honey!" I told her. "I'll meet you at the hospital." I hung up and looked at the teacher. "Sorry Professor Rothwell. I'm gonna be a dad! Gotta go meet my son at the hospital!"

"Congratulations now get out of here," he chuckled, shaking his head.

I sped to the hospital with my flashers on and met Anna and her mother just as she entered the building.

"Here we go," I smiled, kissing her head, holding her hand. "We can do this."

She smiled at me and nodded.

Fifteen hours later, my son was born. After the doctors cleaned him up and brought him back and everyone left and Anna fell asleep, I sat holding him. He had fluffy whisps of brown hair and shining moss green eyes like his mom. My eyes were more hazel than green. I was glad he got his mother's eyes.

"Matthew Karsyn Tailyr Vowell," I smiled at him. I kissed his head. "Mattie, you are without a doubt the most loved baby in the world. You have an amazing mom by the way. She's perfect."

"You're daddy's great too," came Anna's tired voice.

I turned. "Did I wake you up?" I asked, walking over to sit on the edge of her bed.

"I was only pretending to be asleep," she giggled.

"We have a beautiful kid, you know that?" I asked. "You did good with him." I kissed her.

"I think you had some help with him," she said. "I think. I might be wrong."

I laughed, just loud enough to stir the infant from sleep. Mattie gave an angry cry. "Shh," I urged, rocking him a little. "Daddy's sorry buddy."

Anna giggled again. Little did I know, this was one of the very few family moments we would have.

"I'm sorry baby, I got hung up at the library," Anna said. "I'm on my way to the car right now. I'll be home soon."

"It's okay. We'll be waiting, alright? Drive safe."

"I love you Marx."

"I love you too, Anna," I said, hanging up. I went back into the living room where Mattie was idly laying on his back, playing with a stuffed toy, gnawing on it's ear.

He was only four months old but a handful already. He couldn't crawl, though he tried often. He could lift himself up if we left him on his stomach and had already figured out how to roll from his stomach to his back. He cooed and giggled all the time and attempted to babble but that was just out of his reach.

"Hey buddy," I cooed at him, picking him up. I smoothed his camouflage onesie down a little. "Looks like mama's gonna be a little late for dinner tonight. Let's get you fed and ready for bed. She's gonna be tired and want a shower before she eats and it'll be best if I give her less to do."

I fed Mattie and got him in and out of the bath, taking an unwanted bath of my own because I forgot a towel to wrap him up in, before Anna got home. We didn't live far from the library and it worried me that she wasn't home yet.

"Where could she be?" I asked myself.

Suddenly, my cell phone rang.

"Anna?" I asked.

"Hey Marx," came the response. It was not my girlfriend. "It's Dr. Stallcup."

"Kelly?" I questioned. Dr. Stallcup had been my family doctor for years and he worked nights in the ER every now and again. Whatever reason he had to call me, it wasn't good. "What's up?"

"I … I really hate to have to be the one to tell you this but I thought it'd be best that you heard it from me," he said slowly, his voice uncharacteristically grim. "But there was an accident. A man was driving home drunk and swerved into on coming traffic. He hit Anna head on at about eighty miles an hour."

My entire world stopped. "No," I breathed, tears springing to my eyes.

"I'm sorry Marx," he said. "She … We did all we could but … she's gone. I'm so sorry."

My phone fell from my hands, shattering on the floor. I ran into Mattie's room and picked him up from his crib, holding him tightly to my chest.

"It's gonna be okay buddy," I sobbed, leaning against the wall and sliding down to sit on my butt. "It'll be okay. It's gonna be okay." Every word was a total lie. It wasn't going to be okay. She was gone. My other half. My soul mate. My angel was gone, ripped from me by some drunk asshole who didn't give a damn about the lives he just ruined.

Kelly must have called my mom because my parents came in a few hours later. She coaxed me to my feet and to the couch since I refused to go to my room. I also refused to let my son go. I laid him on my chest where he'd slept many nights before.

I was on auto-pilot. Everything in me shut down and went through the motions of the day. My sister and Karsyn and the host club showed up the next day but I barely registered their presence. It still hadn't sunk in that Anna was gone forever, even as I sat in the church during her funeral.

"Marx?" Tailyr said, putting a hand on my shoulder as I stood next to Anna's grave. "Here, give me him and we'll wait for you in the truck okay?"

I looked down at my son and nodded mutely. I handed him to my sister and she walked away. My eyes returned to her grave. For a moment, I tried to rationalize what was happening. I was suddenly a single father with a three month old baby, in my final months of college and I was burying the love of my life. I was, for the first time in my life, totally and completely alone.

My legs turned to jello and I hit my knees sobbing so hard my entire body convulsed. I cried shamelessly for god knew how long. My tears frosted a little on my face from the cold but I didn't care. I felt like I was in hell, heat and all. She was gone. I would never hear her voice again. I'd never hold her in my arms. We'd never have another child together. We'd never be married. We'd never grow old and watch our grandchildren playing in the front yard.

"This isn't fair!" I screamed to the heavens. "WHY DID YOU TAKE HER FROM ME?! WHY DID THIS HAVE TO HAPPEN?!"

I'd never hurt so bed. I screamed and cried until my voice gave out. Finally, I staggered to my feet and went to my truck. Tailyr was standing next to the driver's side and Mattie was in the truck. I figured that Mori had taken the twins and their youngest Alyksa back in another vehicle. They wouldn't all fit in my truck with me and Mattie.

I went right up and hugged my sister, sobbing into her shoulder. She hugged me back quietly.

"Marx," she said after a while, her voice cracking. "You're always welcome in our home. If you ever need me I'm always here."

"I just don't understand."

"No one does, Bubba," she said. She never called me bubba unless she wanted something or was trying to make me feel better. I must have been super pathetic. "It's not fair and I hate seeing you like this. Just remember something, she left you a little bit of herself in that little boy. It won't bring her back to cry and neglect him. She wouldn't want that and you don't want it either. Even on auto-pilot you've been an amazing dad to him. Just remember that, okay?"

"I can't keep doing this on my own," I said, tears forming again.

"You're not alone. Don't think that," she half scolded. "I don't care if I'm half a world away or three galaxies away. I'll always be here for you and you're always welcome to go back with us and start over there. It might be good for you … but it's your choice."

"I want to go back with you," I said. "Everywhere I look … she's there. I'll go crazy if I stay here I think. Mattie deserves better than me being half crazy all the time. I'll probably never get over this all the way-"

"No one expects you to, Marx. You loved her. She gave you a child."

I nodded, looking at my son sleeping in the back seat of my truck. "Yeah. She did and I'll be more than enough parent for the both of us for him. I'll be the best parent in the entire world to that little guy. I'll let him know how much his mom loved him and how wonderful she was."

"Then do it."

"Thanks sis."

"Anytime."

A week later, Mattie and I moved to Japan. Tailyr had secured a job as an agriculture adviser for some farming company and a small place for Mattie and I to start out. After everyone went home from helping us move in, I sat in the living room, the baby on my chest asleep and a small shrine to Anna in my vision place neatly in the corner. Haruhi had suggested it because she had one to her mom and it was Japanese tradition to have one to deceased loved ones. It was a good idea.

"You always wanted to come here," I told the picture. "This is as close as you'll get I guess." I took in a heavy breath, forcing myself to remain calm. I looked down at the baby sleeping on my chest and a small, sad smile formed on my face.

He cooed in his sleep and nuzzled his head a little on my chest. A single tear escape as memories of his mom doing the same thing filled my head. I wiped it away with the back of my hand.

I knew it wasn't going to be easy and I'd never be okay with losing her. I'd always miss Anna and I'd never love another woman. I'd probably never look at another woman again and if I never did I was okay with that. I had my son. I had my sister and my friends. I also had the memories of the three years I was privileged enough to spend with the most amazing woman to ever walk the earth. She gave me the greatest gift I'd ever received.

For that, I was eternally grateful.

**Oh my god. I'm here in literal tears. I know this one is a lot shorter than Tailyr's chapter but its soooooooo sad. I feel terrible for it too. That's just pathetic. -_- I don't care. I'm happily pathetic! TT~TT Don't care!**

**Thank you for reading and please review!**

**Also, Karsyn's chapter is in the works!**


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